Man ready for 'emotional' start to world boat race

A man from Leicester is preparing to embark on a 46,850-mile sailing journey around the world.

Bob Brown, 60, has been in training for the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race since September 2024.

The race starts on Sunday and the full circumnavigation will take 46 weeks to complete.

Mr Brown, a plumber, said he was hopeful it would "scratch" his itch for adventure.

The route for the full circumnavigation is divided into eight legs, with the first starting from Portsmouth and taking sailors to Spain, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

Then, the boats sail towards Uruguay, South Africa, west Australia, east Australia, China, the west coast of the USA, and the east coast of the USA, in that order, before finally heading back to the UK.

Mr Brown said he has packed up his business and spent a lot of time preparing.

"I can't do any more at home now, all the boxes have been ticked, it's just time to get gone," he added.

"I've also got all the family coming down to [see me off] so it should be great to see them all, and also probably quite emotional."

He will be accompanied by a crew of 19 others on the journey.

"The way we're operating, we have two watches, so half the team are sailing the boat, the other half are doing their own thing, normally sleeping," Mr Brown said.

As for what they will be eating - that has already been predetermined by the crew and bags of food will contain prepared ingredients or "made ready" meals.

"They set them all up, so basically, it's out with the bag, and we have a range cooker on gimbals so it moves with the waves.

"[There's also] an oven, so we make bread most days, and once all the fresh stuff stops, then obviously we'll make bread all the way."

Meanwhile, Mr Brown will get to keep his plumbing duties sharp, as if one of the two toilets on board breaks then he will be responsible for fixing them.

He sets sail at 16:00 BST on Sunday.

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